In this week’s installment of Slate’s Negotiation Academy, we teach you some of the basics of persuasion in negotiations. Think you should always go in guns blazing? Think you only win if the other guy loses? The truth is much more subtle, and won't leave you feeling like a bully. (Also: Learn why you might want to wear a lab coat to the negotiation. And brush your hair. And bring home-baked brownies.)

Our guide to the persuasive arts is H. Rodgin Cohen of the law firm Sullivan & Cromwell. Cohen has been involved in high-stakes negotiations ranging from the recent financial crisis to the release of American hostages in Iran.